Suzuki said the Nationals were on the bus after their game against the Cubs and pulling up at the team plane when he got pulled off the bus. “Mike Rizzo came back and said, ‘Don’t get on the plane, you’re staying here,’ ” Suzuki said. “Everyone was looking at me like, ‘What?!’ ”

Suzuki arrived in Washington last Aug. 3 and became the Nationals' everyday catcher while Wilson Ramos was out with a torn ACL. Suzuki filled in for Ramos again this season when the latter suffered a strained left hamstring, but since Ramos returned to the lineup July 4, Suzuki has seen little playing time, appearing in just 12 complete games.